Police: 27 Killed at Conn. School; 1 Other Dead

A gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, including 20 children, by blasting his way through the building as young students cowered helplessly in classrooms while their teachers and classmates were shot.

The attack, coming less than two weeks before Christmas, was the nation’s second-deadliest school shooting, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.

The gunman killed himself and another person was found dead at a second scene, leading to a total toll of 28, authorities said.

Panicked parents raced to Sandy Hook Elementary School, about 60 miles northeast of New York City, looking for their children in the wake of the shooting. Students were told to close their eyes by police as they were led from the building.

Robert Licata said his 6-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.

"That’s when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door," he said. "He was very brave. He waited for his friends."

He said the shooter didn’t utter a word.

A photo taken by The Newtown Bee newspaper showed a group of young students - some crying, others looking visibly frightened - being escorted by adults through a parking lot in a line, hands on each other’s shoulders.

Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter was in the school and heard two big bangs. Teachers told her to get in a corner, he said.

"It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America," he said. His daughter was fine.

Andrea Rynn, a spokeswoman at the hospital, said it had three patients from the school but she did not have information on the extent or nature of their injuries.

Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and ran to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.

"Everyone was just traumatized," he said.

Richard Wilford’s 7-year-old son, Richie, is in the second grade at the school. His son told him that he heard a noise that "sounded like what he described as cans falling."

The boy told him a teacher went out to check on the noise, came back in, locked the door and had the kids huddle up in the corner until police arrived.

"There’s no words," Wilford said. "It’s sheer terror, a sense of imminent danger, to get to your child and be there to protect him."

At the White House, a tearful President Barack Obama said he grieved about the massacre as a father first, declaring "our hearts are broken today." He promised action to prevent such tragedies again but did not say what that would be.

The scene in the White House briefing room was one of the most outwardly emotional moments of Obama’s presidency.

"The majority of those who died were children - beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old," Obama said.

He paused for several seconds to keep his composure as he teared up and wiped an eye. Nearby, two aides cried and held hands as they listened to Obama.

"They had their entire lives ahead of them - birthdays, graduations, wedding, kids of their own," Obama continued about the victims. "Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children."

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Comments

Anonymous, 2012-12-14 18:36:05

This is so incredibly sad. Yet nothing will be done about guns in America.

Wayne Madden, 2012-12-14 20:07:12

We have made the sad mistake of valuing security more than our children - and losing all security in the process. Until we in America (United States and Canada) learn to love our children more and our guns less, we will see this again and again and again.

Anonymous, 2012-12-15 00:12:58

This is indeed sad. Truly an excellent example of why all of us should be weekly trained and well armed. Don’t let them use this to take away our 4the check & balance in our political machine, the right to bear arms...

Anonymous, 2012-12-15 04:01:52

22 children were also stabbed in china today. As a parent of two angels, my heart hurts for all the parents around the world who lost their children today. My heart breaks for you :(

Anonymous, 2012-12-15 08:32:43

Gun control has nothing to do with removing the right to bare arms in this nation. Continue on this course of clouding and miss representing issues and in a state of fear we will loose it and more.

Anonymous, 2012-12-15 08:43:30

Yeah, I’ll just bet one of the last things to go through Nancy Lanza’s mind, before the bullet went through her face, was her pride in gun ownership. I’d vote to seriously hinder the right to bare arms for all pea-brained, dinky dicked men if it means protecting children. The only thing that turns my stomach more than these beautiful children being mowed down is nervous people sqawking about their right and need to own guns.

Matt Ruch, 2012-12-15 09:09:18

To the person who said, "we should all be weekly trained and well armed". You are a total freak. ALL guns, except hunting rifles, need to be outlawed! Re-read the Constitution, the right to bare arms refers to a well organized militia, which we do not need anymore because we have the armed services. All the NRA gun lovers can go to hell.

Jon Will, 2012-12-15 14:13:37

I agree with Wayne M., but gun ownership has nothing to do with security. It’s about a culture of violence. When we love our children more than our guns, then these massacres will stop. By the way it’s "the right to BEAR (meaning ’hold and carry’)arms", not BARE (meaning ’strip naked’).

Anonymous, 2012-12-15 18:18:51

Oops. Bare with me whilst I bear my bare bear butt in embarrassment.

Anonymous, 2012-12-16 06:28:20

Not sure about the situation with the shooter, but I like my guns. I think that maybe mandatory use of trigger locks may curb some of the crazy gun nuts out there. Also closing the gun show loophole would be a start, c’mon folks some COMMON SENCE gun laws are sorely needed, even NRA members are for better gun laws by a 74% majority.

Anonymous, 2012-12-17 00:25:47

I am in no way a gun pro person, in fact I don’t even own a gun. However, these people who are saying we need to outlaw guns are being rediculous. It’s the people who kill, not the guns. This insane guy who killed these poor innocent children is so crazy that gun or no gun, he is going to act out with the result of such sadness.

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